Manchester Orchestra keyboardist departs band

After ten years in Manchester Orchestra, longtime keyboardist Chris Freeman has announced his departure from the Georgia-founded band. On Tuesday (Sept. 20), the musician took to the band’s Facebook page to announce he was leaving the band. In his letter, he reveals that his decision to leave the group he had been a part of for a decade came when he realized that he was in a place “in my career where I’ve decided to go down a new path and pursue my own projects. Freeman’s complete post to fans can be read below.

“After much consideration, I would like to announce that my time with Manchester Orchestra has come to an end.

Although I wouldn’t trade the last 10 years for anything, I’ve come to a place in my career where I’ve decided to go down a new path and pursue my own projects. While it’s difficult to say goodbye, I’m equally as excited about the road ahead and the opportunities in front of me. I will miss all of the love that I have felt from our fans, and I want to thank every person that has shared in this journey with me and supported me along the way. I’ll never stop creating art. Thank you guys for always inspiring me.

Much Love,
Christopher Michael Cheese Lightning Freeman”

Fans and the rest of the members of Manchester Orchestra seem to be supportive of Freeman’s decision to exit the band. soon after Freeman made his post, the band took to Facebook, wishing Freeman nothing “but love and all the best in his new horizons.” The band’s short statement about Freeman’s decision to leave can be read below.

“We would like to thank our friend Chris Freeman for his dedication and devotion over the last 10 years as a member of Manchester Orchestra. We wish him nothing but love and all the best in his new horizons.

– Manchester Orchestra”

Freeman’s departure comes two years after Manchester Orchestra released their acoustic album, Hope. While not an official studio record, the album featured the band performing acoustic version of the songs featured on their fourth studio album, Cope.

Skate and Surf Fest Update 2015 Line-Up

Just when you thought Skate and Surf Fest had announced all the acts slated to take the stage next month in New Jersey, you find out, they weren’t quite done.

Two months after unveiling the so-called “complete” line-up for the weekend-long festival, organizers added a couple of more bands to the already packed line-up.

Joining previously announced acts like the Dropkick Murphys, Thrice, Acceptance, Manchester Orchestra and more will be Hit the Lights, Cancer Bats, Diamond youth, No Good News, Souvenirs and lastly, Real Friends.

“Skate and Surf has always been a pretty significant event to us,” reveals Real Friends bassist Kyle Fasel.

“It definitely holds a special place in my heart and memory. Very stoked!”

Check out the announcement below.

For those who have not been keeping tabs on the lengthy list of bands, the newly revised list can be seen here.

2015 SKATE AND SURF FEST LINE-UP:

Aaron West (Acoustic)
Acceptance
Alcoa
American Nightmare
Attila
Beach Slang
Big D & The Kids Table
Cancer Bats
Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!
Cloud Nothings
Dads
Defeater
Diamond Youth
Dropkick Murphys
Elder Brother
Fireworks
Four Year Strong
From Autumn To Ashes
Gates
Gideon
Head North
Hit the Lights
Hot Rod Circuit
Iron Chic
Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band
Light Years
Major League
Manchester Orchestra
mewithoutYou
Modern Baseball
Motionless in White
No Good News
Nora
Pentimento
Pianos Become the Teeth
Poison the Well
Real Friends
Rebuilder
Rozwell Kid
Runaway Brother
Small Brown Bike
Sorority Noise
Souvenirs
Spraynard
Steady Hands
Superheaven
Terror
The Front Bottoms
The Gaslight Anthem
The Parlor Mob
The Scandals
The So So Glos
The Story So Far
The Weaks
The Wonder Years
Thrice

Skate and Surf Fest will return to their home of Asbury Park on May 16 and 17. Tickets are still on sale so you might want to get them if you haven’t yet.

Skate and Surf Unveil 2015 Line-Up, Two Big Reunions

It’s only been a little over a month since Skate and Surf Festival announced just a small portion of their 2015 festival line-up and now, after promising fans for a while, the New Jersey festival has revealed a hefty portion, if not all, of the line up.

Headlining the event will be Jersey’s own The Gaslight Anthem and the Dropkick Murphys who will be in the middle of their “Celtic Punk Invasion” Tour when they drop by Asbury Park in May.

Kevin Devine, mewithoutYou, American Nightmare and more have now joined previously announced acts like Manchester Orchestra, The Wonder Years, The Story So Far, Modern Baseball, From Autumn to Ashes, Four Year Strong, and many more.

Like last year, the festival will have two (as of now) awesome reunions going on.

The first of two reunions will be Acceptance, who broke up in 2006 after releasing their super successful debut record. Fittingly enough, this comes a couple of months after guitarist Christian McAlhaney’s other band, Anberlin, called it a day.

The other band making a triumphant return to the stage will be Poison the Well who went on hiatus back in 2010.

Check out the newly revised line-up for this year’s Skate and Surf Festival.

Like the poster says, tickets for the weekend-long event are currently available. Skate and Surf 2015 will once again be returning to their home territory of Asbury Park on May 16 and May 17. For more information, head on over to the festival’s website.

Skate and Surf Festival Unveil First Batch of 2015 Performers

Skate and Surf Festival organizers had been dropping hints that they would be revealing some of the artists that will be going to New Jersey for the two-day festival in May of 2015. Now, the initial line-up of performers have been unveiled and so far, so good.

Bands such as a newly reunited From Autumn to Ashes, the Dropkick Murphys, Manchester Orchestra, The Wonder Years, The Story So Far, Modern Baseball, Motionless in White, and many more have already been revealed. The full official flyer for the two-day show can be seen below.

Once again, Skate and Surf will be returning home to Asbury Park, NJ though last year, they almost weren’t allowed to do so, but as we saw, they were.

Tickets for the festival will officially go on sale tonight at 8 p.m., so we will suggest if you’re digging the line-up so far, go ahead and get them while you can, especially when there are still some acts that have yet to be announced.

Remember, last year we saw the reunion of Midtown and a super special reunion including Anthony Green rejoining Saosin for their performance. Of course, that reunion has led to Green rejoining the band he once fronted for an actual tour.

Reading and Leeds Unveil First Seven Acts for 2015

The year is almost over and that means festivals are already getting prepared to unveil the artists who will be taking the stage at each of them in no time at all.

Before long, this website will be having a hard time keeping up to date with all the festivals, their performers list, festival dates and live streams because of the on slaughter we usually get, but we won’t complain, it’s all fun. .

Today, Reading and Leeds decided to get a jump-start on their line-up
by announcing the first wave of artists who will be heading across the pond to perform at the annual event.

As of now, the list only has seven names, but hey that’s a start.

Metallica will be headlining next Summer’s event while Jamie T., Pierce the Veil, Run the Jewels, Manchester Orchestra and Wilkinson Live have been confirmed.

Also slated to perform at Reading and Leeds? Refused.

For some, this news is a little shocking since the band had said it was done once their reunion tour was over. It was also revealed Refused will be playing the Amnesia Rockfest in Quebec next Summer as well, so we’re not sure if they meant it when they said they were “done” especially since they’ve been dropping cryptic hints of a new record for next year.

Check out the first of many flyers with the line-up.

Reading and Leeds will take place during the weekend of Aug. 28-30, 2015.

Manchester Orchestra Give Fans ‘HOPE’

Manchester Orchestra have just revealed the news that they have been teasing at and it revolves around their recently released album, COPE.

The Georgia-based band revealed that they have released a new record titled HOPE, the acoustic version of COPE.

Vinyls for the acoustic record are slated to be released in November, but for those that can’t wait that long, the band are currently streaming the record on Spotify which can be accessed below while the digital version of the record can be obtained today.

In support of the acoustic record, we assume, the band will be heading out on an intimate and short tour across the United States with Chris Staples.

Tour dates can be seen after the Spotify stream.

UPCOMING MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA TOUR DATES feat. Chris Staples:

10/31/14 – Memphis, TN – New Daisy Theatre

11/04/14 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn

11/06/14 – Tempe, AZ – Mesa Arts Center

11/07/14 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever

11/08/14 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour

12/03/14 – Chicago, IL – Irish American Heritage Center

12/06/14 – Philadelphia, PA – Temple Performing Arts Center

12/07/14 – New Haven, CT – Center Church on the Green

12/08/14 – Somerville, MA – Arts At The Armory

12/09/14 – Brooklyn, NY – The Bell House

12/11/14 – Charleston, SC – Memminger Auditorium

12/12/14 – Durham, NC – Hayti Heritage Center

12/13/14 – McMinnville, TN – Volcano Room of Cumberland Cavern

Manchester Orchestra released COPE back at the beginning of April through the band’s own independent record label, Favorite Gentlemen.

Manchester Orchestra Stream New Album

Manchester Orchestra are currently streaming their upcoming album, COPE. The album, which is set to be released next Tuesday, April 1st, is the follow-up to 2011’s Simple Math.

Until this point, the band have already shared several of the new tracks with fans over the past few months. Tracks previously released include “Top Notch,” the title track “Cope,” and “Every Stone.”

When asked about goal of the fourth album, frontman Andy Hulls said, “we wanted to make the kind of album that’s missing at this time in rock. Something that’s just brutal and pounding you over the head with every track, something unrelenting and unapologetic.”

You can now listen to the full “unrelenting and unapologetic” record on YouTube or right here. For those who dig the new album, it is currently available for pre-order on iTunes.

Don’t forget that Manchester Orchestra will be heading out on tour beginning on April 7th in Bristol, U.K. at The Fleece. After a few days across the pond, the Atlanta-based band will return to the United States On April 17th for their North American tour. Dates for the tour which also features Balance & Composure and Kevin Devine can be found here.

Manchester Orchestra Post “Making of ‘COPE'” Video

Manchester Orchestra’s new album COPE isn’t due to hit store until April 1, but the band have released a making of the album, mini-documentary for fans to watch.

Earlier this week, the band had released the music video for their lead single, “Top Notch.” In support of the new album, Manchester Orchestra will be hitting the road on a North American/European tour with Balance And Composure and Kevin Devine as their supporting acts. Full tour dates can be seen below as well as the making of the upcoming album.

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA feat. BALANCE & COMPOSURE and KEVIN DEVINE TOUR:

MARCH
6 – Anchorage, AK – Bear Tooth Theatre

APRIL
7 – Bristol, UK – The Fleece
8 – Birmingham, UK – The Glee Club
10 – London, UK – Scala
11 – Manchester, UK – Club Academy
12 -Glasgow, UK – SWG3

17 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz
18 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution
19 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando
21 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston
22 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
23 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas
24 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
25 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
26 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
28 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
29 – Seattle, WA – Neptune
30 – Portland, OR – Roseland Ballroom

MAY
02 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
03 – Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues Los Angeles
04 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues Anaheim
06 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego
07 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee
09 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep
10 – Omaha, NE – Sokol
11 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
12 – Madison, WI – Majestic
14 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway
15 – Chicago, IL – HOB Chicago
16 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
17 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
19 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
20 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
22 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
23 – Boston, MA – House of Blues Boston
24 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of The Living Arts
25 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of The Living Arts
27 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
28 – Norfolk, VA – Norva
29 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
30 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
31 – Nashville, TN – Cannery

Manchester Orchestra Announce New Album and Tour

Manchester Orchestra has given fans a double dose of good news this week and it’s only Tuesday.

Yesterday, Manchester Orchestra released a new song titled “Top Notch” and today, they followed it up by not only revealing they will be heading on a North American tour in the Spring, but that their new album will be titled Cope and will be released on April 1st. Hence the cryptic “4.1.14” that was posted on the band’s official Twitter page.

As for the upcoming tour, they have revealed that the tour will not only feature them, but also Balance & Composure and Kevin Devine. The tour is scheduled to begin in mid-April in Tampa and continue until the end of May with their last stop in Nashville.

“Cope, to me, means getting by. It means letting go, and being OK with being OK,” Manchester Orchestra frontman, Andy Hull, said in a press release. “You can cope in a positive way when bad things happen, or a negative way, and that blend was a big lyrical theme for me on this album.”

Tour dates and the audio for “Top Notch” can be viewed below.

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA 2014 TOUR DATES:

04/17 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz
04/18 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
04/19 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues Orlando
04/21 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston
04/22 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
04/23 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Dallas
04/24 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada
04/25 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
04/26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
04/28 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
04/29 – Seattle, WA -@Neptune
04/30 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Ballroom
05/02 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
05/03 – Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues Los Angeles
05/04 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues Anaheim
05/06 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues San Diego
05/07 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee
05/09 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
05/10 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol
05/11 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
05/12 – Madison, WI @ Majestic
05/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway
05/15 – Chicago, IL @ HOB Chicago
05/16 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection
05/17 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
05/19 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House
05/20 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
05/22 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
05/23 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues Boston
05/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of The Living Arts
05/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of The Living Arts
05/27 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
05/28 – Norfolk, VA @ Norva
05/29 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
05/30 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
05/31 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery